English 112: Literature and Writing II, Fiction
R.G. Siemens
Office: 335/120
Office Hours: TBA
E-mail: siemensr@mala.bc.ca
Description
A complement to English 111, this course focuses on the study of fiction, covering both short stories and novels. It also gives attention to writing skills, with particular attention to the academic essay.Course MaterialsCourse Requirements
- Course Texts:
- Conrad, Joseph. Heart of Darkness. Robert Kimbrough, ed. Norton Critical Edition. 2nd ed. London and New York: W.W. Norton, 1971.
- Gibson, William. Neuromancer. New York: Ace Books, 1984.
- Gwynn, R.S., ed. Fiction: A Longman Pocket Anthology. 3rd ed. New York: Longman, 2002.
- Harrison, Keith. Furry Creek. Lantzville: Oolichan, 1999.
- Pynchon, Thomas. The Crying of Lot 49. New York: Harper and Row [Perennial Classics], 1999.
- Suggested:
- Dodds, Jack, and Judi Jewinski. The Ready Reference Handbook: Writing, Revising, Editing. 2nd Canadian ed. Toronto: Pearson Education, 2001.
- Lunsford, Andrea, Robert Connors, and Judy Segal. The Everyday Writer: A Brief Reference. Canadian ed. New York: St. Martin's P, 1997.
- Johnston, Ian C. Essays and Arguments: A Handbook on Writing Argumentative and Interpretative Essays. Nanaimo: Malaspina U-C, 2000. Rptd. online, <http://www.mala.bc.ca/~johnstoi/arguments/argument1.htm>
- Additional Resources:
- Technical Assistance:
- IT Helpdesk: extension 6300, ithelp@mala.bc.ca, and http://web.mala.bc.ca/it/students/index.htm.
- Midterm, 10%. Identification, short answer, and long answer (in-class essay) questions; to be taken during week 3.
- Seminar Presentation, 20%. A well-researched and formal presentation on your topic, plus leading or jointly leading seminar discussion for the week; presentation topics and dates to be assigned in-class, during week 3. Due for discussion with the instructor in office hours no later than one full week before presentation are: [1] a detailed outline of your presentation, and [2] the annotated bibliography representing your research.
- Research Paper, 20%. A formal research paper on your topic, having its origins in your seminar presentation. 1,500 wds. + annotated bibliography, due one week after your presentation.
- Participation, seminar and online seminar, 30%. Evaluation will include your seminar notes (see handout), due each seminar meeting.
- Final exam, 20%. Date to be announced later in the term.
Assigned readings are to be completed for the beginning of the first class in which they are to be considered.
Notes
- All deadlines are firm. Attendance is mandatory, and you must come to class prepared to discuss the works and authors under consideration. All course requirements must be met (and a mark of greater than F received) for a passing grade to be issued in the course.
- There may be a number of unscheduled quizzes during the term.
- This course assumes ability, based on training received in English 111, in the use of our library (and ILL facilities), its catalogue, and the various specialized indexes and bibliographies related to literary studies in the areas covered by the course.
- All written work will be submitted as per MLA style (parenthetical citation). All students are advised to consult and use The Everyday Writer or The Ready Reference Handbook as part of their course and assignment preparation. All students are advised to be familiar with Malaspina's Student Conduct Policy (available at: http://www.mala.bc.ca/www/crsinfo/calendar/STUDCOND.HTM), which includes a section on plagiarism.
- What is an annotated bibliography? For our purposes here, and in short, an annotated bibliography is a list of critical/scholarly works that includes a brief summary of the argument of each work. Works are to be listed as per MLA Style. A sample entry follows:
Frye, Northrop. "The Argument of Comedy." Alvin B. Kernan, ed. Modern Shakespearean Criticism: Essays on Style, Dramaturgy, and the Major Plays. New York: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1970. 165-179.
Frye discusses ideas on the evolution from Old to New Comedy, and therein touches upon a number of elements of the New Comedy, among them the basic plot and movement towards resolution. Of interest is his relation of the individual and the societal, in the resolution of the comic drama: "The essential comic resolution," Frye states, ". . . is an individual release which is also a social reconciliation" (167). His comments on the structural relation of the comedy and the tragedy are particularly useful: "Comedy," he notes, "grows out of the [tragic] ritual, for in the ritual the tragic story has a comic sequel" (168).